Interviews

THE PETER RECKELL INTERVIEW – DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Listen to the audio:

TV SOAP:
Peter, now that Ed Scott has been chosen as the new co-executive producer, replacing twenty year veteran Steve Wyman, how has that been behind the scenes for “DAYS”?

PETER:
It has been a huge boost to the show. Ed has a lot of passion. I think the biggest thing is Ken Corday, (exec prod. “DAYS”) has given him the reigns basically, and said, “Go for it and do what you gotta do.” Part of the issue with Steve Wyman is that he did not have total power. He didn’t have much power to go after all the elements of the show; from the writing, the lighting, and the way we use our cameras…. everything. Ed has come in with a lot of energy, a lot of commitment, and passion. It is great for everyone, not just the actors, but also the wardrobe and make-up departments, and the sets. Everybody is charged because he listens to people and they get a say. Ed listens to their suggestions and doesn’t just come down and say, “This is what I want and this is the way it’s going to be.”

TV SOAP:
Have you talked out about your character, Bo Brady, with Ed yet?

PETER:
First, I just wanted to hang out and see what his patterns were. So, we set up a breakfast during our vacation in September. At that time, I will get to sit down and pick his brain and hash out some things, not only about “DAYS,” but daytime in general.

TV SOAP:
Will Bo be integral to the Brady/Dimera vendetta storyline?

PETER:
I don’t know that I am an integral part. I am sort of keeping people in control. When I came back to the show 12 years ago, I was not real thrilled that while I was gone Bo had become a cop, and where was it leading. Now, it’s leading more and more each year that he is more under control and less of a hot head. Bo seems more reasonable, and that is the current thing. I am trying to keep Steve under control and Sami under control. In my mind, Bo has always been the renegade. Currently, this is a role that is difficult. It’s not easy for me. I like the role of a renegade with passion.

TV SOAP:
There were recent scenes where Doug and Julie, John and Marlena, and Bo and Hope are together reading the letters of Santo and Colleen’s back-story of the vendetta. Are days like that great fun where you all get to work together in the same scene?

PETER:
Oh yeah, we should do it more often. We all have a great time and the taping of the show is secondary. (He laughs) I like the way the show is written, where you are seeing the story being portrayed through different people’s eyes. Then, we see the actual story being played out by the characters of Santo and Colleen. It is really kind of a cool way that Hogan Sheffer (head writer, “DAYS”) has put that together.

TV SOAP:
Is it tough being a veteran of the show and having a small part in this big umbrella storyline? (The Brady/Dimera vendetta). Do you know where things are heading for Bo?

PETER:
I am not really sure, and have not been integral in figuring it out, as yet. It’s really a Sami and EJ story. I am not really concerned about it. This whole thing will resolve itself and Bo will be a part of it. What I am looking forward to is the storylines that come down the road, and how involved Bo will be in those. I don’t know a heck of a lot of “Y&R”, but having fantastical stories like this one, I don’t believe was part of the make-up of the show. We will have more storylines that are more identifiable, and I think I will be much more integral to those… I hope!

TV SOAP:
Have you and head writer, Hogan Sheffer, ever sat down and discussed Bo, since Hogan started with the show?

PETER:
No. We have tried to hook up, but we both have been busy. Maybe during the show’s September vacation, we will do that, too.

TV SOAP:
We have heard all the reports of your recent riding accident. Could you please clarify for your many fans in Australia, what happened?

PETER:
I was riding my pedal bicycle to work and the front forks broke, and I shattered my clavicle. They put a titanium piece in there to put it back together. They want me to clean up the rotator cuff in my shoulder as well, and we are just starting to address putting that back together.

TV SOAP:
In a recent interview with TV SOAPS, Kristian Alfonso (Hope) told us that many times she comes in to work nervous about the scenes for the day, and you will help calm her nerves. From your perspective, is that true?
PETER:
Sort of. That is the way it was, to a great extent, when we started. Because, at that time she was a novice to the acting stuff and I had a bit more experience. These days it’s not so much that. Every now and then that will happen. She will get nervous because of the amount of material and I will stop her and go, “Hey, let’s take this one step at a time.” It’s not difficult to do that, and we start dealing with each scene individually. I get nervous, too. It’s a good thing; the two of us still care so much about the show that we want to do a good job. That’s true, especially now with someone like Ed Scott, who is really watching and cares about the product and how the actors are doing. It’s funny, you watch other actors who have been around as long as we have and that doesn’t happen. It keeps it fresh for us.

TV SOAP:
The soaps seem to drop all the core characters over the summer for the younger set storylines, and this always seems to backfire. What is your opinion on that trend?

PETER:
Oh, yeah. They have tried on “DAYS,” especially this year. Kristian and I hardly worked this past January and February. It got both of us very nervous. The ratings of the show dropped, and then they brought us back and the ratings climbed back up. So, it’s kind of strange to us anyway, that the show keeps doing that every summer. They drop us off the show and the ratings go down, and they go, “Oh-oh” and bring us back on. So why go through that every year? I don’t understand it.

TV SOAP:
We hear there is some major news on the home front with you and your beautiful and talented wife Kelly Moneymaker?

PETER:
Kelly is pregnant! We just saw the ultrasound pictures today, and the baby is beautiful and we are just so excited. She is six and half months pregnant.

TV SOAP:
Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?

PETER:
It’s a little girl. We are stoked, and we will have a little holiday baby. This is our first child.

TV SOAP:
How will fatherhood be, do you think?
PETER:
Going to work in the morning and leaving the house, is going to be terrible. I know I am going to want to be with the baby all the time. That is probably when my story will be so big I won’t be able to go home. (He laughs)

TV SOAP:
Do you and Kelly have a name for your baby?

PETER:
Yes, but we are going to keep it secret until it’s born. Somebody else has already stolen the name. It is an unusual name. The baby named itself, and it came to Kelly in a dream. She woke up from this dream and she had to go look up the name. It’s a beautiful and perfect name.

TV SOAP:
Has Kelly been working on her musical career while going through this pregnancy?

PETER:
She has six projects going. Kelly is working with a recording artist from Poland who she is developing…also, Kelly’s “own girl band”… and Kelly has got another album she is working on. She is trying to get all the songs done before she can’t breathe anymore! (He laughs)

TV SOAP:
Would you like to see Bo battling some type of life-threatening health issues, or something along those lines that is more reality based, as you alluded to earlier?

PETER:
The reality story where Bo and Hope dealt with their son Zack dying last year, was something that does happen to people in real life. The audience responded and loved it. Hopefully, we will see more of it down the road.

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TV SOAP:
It seems like every time the writers try to break up Bo and Hope with another romantic love interest, it turns the fans off. Do you think that is true?

PETER:
That is the thing, the whole love story, break up thing. For us, at this point, what could break us up? We have gone through our child dying. It seems like those kinds of things where the two of us have gone through a rough patch; it was the circumstance that gave us the rough time the audience likes. We see two people struggle through that, and end up finding strength in each other and seeing it through. I think that is a huge example to our audience; struggle and be there for each other as much as you can through the pain, etc, etc. Zack’s death was an amazing storyline.

TV SOAP:
How has it been having the Dimeras back, Joe Mascolo (Stefano), Thaao Penghlis (Tony/Andre), and Leann Hunley (Anna)?

PETER:
It’s great. It’s a base and it adds that substance to the show. On the bad guys side, we are up to a few more. Before they came back, the one bad guy, EJ, was always written smarter than Bo. I did not see a whole lot of substance. Joe and I had a scene today that was great. There were two men going at each other who could stand up to each other, not only physically, but emotionally, and verbally. It was these two bulls going at each other.

TV SOAP:
How is your eco-friendly home coming along?

PETER:
The house is finally finished. We have been trying to find a publicist who can get the house in Dwell magazine and those types of magazines. We have been so busy with the baby now. But, I am very proud of the house. It’s very astounding!

TV SOAP:
When we last talked, you were facing many challenges in fixing the home. Has it mostly been resolved?

PETER:
The grey water stuff worked out. The water from our showers and washing machines irrigate the landscape. Our rainwater catch system is working now. Our solar panels are in and cranking out electricity. Most everything is in and doing beautifully.

TV SOAP:
When you and Kelly go out in public nowadays, what do fans say to you the most?

PETER:
It funny, these days they just go, “Hi” and they want to talk to Peter Reckell. They are calling me by my real name instead of Bo. The interesting part about it is the people that are white collar; it’s not the blue-collar workers, which is rather interesting.

TV SOAP:
What do the fans want to see from Bo?

PETER:
They mostly say, “I hope you have bigger storyline.”

TV SOAP:
Do you know what the mystery of the vendetta is, between the Bradys and the Dimeras?

PETER:
Yes, I do. We just found out this week.

TV SOAP:
Was it worth the wait?

PETER:
It’s something that most of us could have guessed, and it was not something that necessarily blew you away.

TV SOAP:
Do you think the story will wrap up soon?

PETER:
I think the story will be wrapped up quickly. Bo was not the one who found out. Bo found out along with everyone else who put it together.

TV SOAP:
What do you think we can say to your legions of fans, what to expect from Bo in the near future ?

PETER:
I don’t think we know what’s in store for “DAYS” with this new powerhouse at the helm. I would think exciting things would happen!